Surfactant recovery process

Abstract

Surfactants in an aqueous solution is recovered from polychlorinated biphenyls and other aromatic organic compounds contaminating the solution. An electrical current is passed through a surfactant-containing aqueous solution contaminated with a colloidal dispersion of organic compounds at a voltage sufficient to electrochemically breakup the dispersion without polymerizing the surfactant. The contaminating aromatic organic compounds are then separated from the surfactant-containing aqueous solution. The separated surfactant-containing aqueous solution may be recirculated to a waste treatment process for cleaning additional organic compounds from contaminated equipment.

We claim: 
     
       1. A process of recovering surfactants in an aqueous solution from organic compounds contaminating the solution, comprising the steps of: passing an electrical current through an aqueous solution containing a surfactant which doe snot polymerize at about 2 volts and contaminated with a colloidal dispersion of organic compounds at a voltage between about 2 and 4 volts to breakup the dispersion of contaminating organic compounds in the aqueous solution without polymerizing the surfactant; and   separating the contaminating organic compounds from the surfactant-containing aqueous solution.   
     
     
       2. The process of claim 1, wherein at least some of the contaminating organic compounds are electrochemically polymerized by passing the current through the solution. 
     
     
       3. The process of claim 2, wherein the contaminating organic compound is electrochemically polymerized by passing a current through the solution at a voltage of 4.0 volts. 
     
     
       4. The process of claim 1, wherein the polymerized organic is separated from the aqueous solution containing the surfactant by precipitation. 
     
     
       5. The process of claim 1, wherein the contaminating organic compound is a polychlorinated biphenyl. 
     
     
       6. The process of claim 5, wherein the contaminating organic compound is dichlorobenzene. 
     
     
       7. The process of claim 1, wherein the contaminating organic compound is imidazole. 
     
     
       8. The process of claim 1, wherein the contaminating organic is pyrrole. 
     
     
       9. The process of claim 1 wherein the surfactant is an ethoxylated acid ester compound. 
     
     
       10. The process of claim 1, wherein the aqueous solution is contaminated with about 1%, by weight, of organic compounds and the separated surfactant-containing solution is visually clear. 
     
     
       11. The process of claim 10, wherein the solution contains about 1%, by weight, of surfactant.